Presents and Pillow Pets

Jonah is now comfortable holding Justus....for a few seconds

Daddy is in love

Jacob is my little helper...always getting a passy or a burp cloth when he needs it.

Jaron LOVES his pillow pet he got for Christmas!

And the gingerbread train was fun to make...and eat!

Jonah also has to sleep with his pillow pet EVERY NIGHT!

Justus slept through the whole thing....he got new clothes and diapers but we didn't bother wrapping them because it's not like he could open them....and we needed them before Christmas.

Jaron loved his Woody costume too....we made a video of them all opening their gifts but blogger wouldn't let me download it. I think 7 minutes is too long. In the video I asked Jaron what was his favorite present and he said "I love all of them"

It was so cute to watch them open everything....

Jonah got a new car to drive and he keeps telling me "see ya later, I going to the store"

They got more than enough for Christmas (like always) Thanks to all their grandparents!

Every year before opening gifts we read the story in the Bible of baby Jesus and how he came into this world. We want our children to know the true meaning of Christmas and always make that priority.

He was 20 and I was 18...

I met Chris a few weeks before he left for basic training. I was going into 12th grade and tired of getting hurt in previous relationships. I made a decision to stop trying to find "the one" for me and start praying for God to send me a husband. A mutual friend introduced me to Chris and we kept in touch through letters while he was in basic training from June to Sept. He came home and we were inseperable. We went out to eat one night and he proposed to me in the restaurant. I said yes and we were so excited that we couldn't even finish our food. We left there and went to the closest payphone to call my dad. (no cell phones back then)

It was a strange feeling....my head was saying "you barely know him" and my heart was saying "I love him and if he leaves for the army when will we get married?"

It was very hard the day he had to leave for Korea. I was finishing high school and engaged to be married. I wrote him letters daily. He wrote me a lot too. I of course saved all the letters and pictures we exchanged during that year. He came home for 2 weeks on mid tour leave. We visited his family in New Hampshire on a 20 hour road trip from NC. He went back to finish his tour in Korea and I stayed home finishing high school and working at McDonalds saving my money and planning for our wedding. I graduated in May 1998 and he came home in October and was stationed in Ft. Benning, GA. We saw each other every weekend and we got married (in same church we met in and the same church I got saved in) on December 26, 1998.

And here we are 12 years later with 4 boys and still in love...

I am so thankful for my handsome husband and his dedication to the Lord.

CHRISTmas pictures!

So with 4 boys it's not easy to get them all smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. The first one is too blurry...

Jonah refused to smile...

Another one of Jonah NOT smiling...

Chris likes this one but I wanted them to all be looking at the camera...

Once again Jonah was holding back his smile. And you can see Jaron's tonsils!

Silly boys....

We got the flu for Christmas!

Monday night Justus started running a fever of 101 so I rushed him to the ER and they admitted him. Not knowing what he had and because he is so tiny the standard procedure is the test for everything. He had blood work, urine test and even a spinal tap. He was very dehydrated when we got there so after 5 sticks in his hands for an IV with no luck, they decided to call NICU to do his IV in his head. It was not fun watching all this happen to my little baby. He was so lathargic and seemed almost lifeless.



His eyes were crusted over so they started using some eye ointment while we were there too.
So the biggest concern was he might have menegitis. They have to check for everything in a baby his age. So we had to wait 48 hrs for the cultures from the blood, urine and spinal fluid. They watch it in the lab to make sure no bacteria grows for 48 hrs. They kept his fever down with tylenol and gave him 2 broad spectrum antibiotics for those 48 hrs to cover anything just incase.

They also decided to test for the flu and RSV and he was positive for the flu but he's too little to take meds for it. We still had to wait on cultures to rule out everything.

So we spent 3 nights there and they finally let us go home today. They said the cultures all came back negative and he has not had a fever since yesterday morning.

Even though he was on IV fluids and sick with the flu he was nursing very good the whole time we were there.

Oh forgot to mention Jaron came home Friday with strep throat and Jacob also got the flu. I think I have it too but no time to get to the doctor so they just called me in some meds anyway. Jonah and Chris are the only ones without any symptoms so far....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Jesus loves me

His quick arrival...

Well as you know Justus was laying sideways in utero and I was very worried about having c-section. So we went to the hospital on Tues Nov. 30th to get a version. The doctor came in and pressed on my belly and turned the baby head down @ 1:27pm. It wasn't too painful but SO worth it. He suggested I go home and wait for natural labor to start. I said no I'd rather be induced because I knew he was big and I was afraid he might flip over again.

So we started the induction with cervidil @ 4:30pm to thin out my cervix.
They removed the cervidil @ 11pm
started pitocin @ 12am
midwife came in @ 7:30am and broke my water and I was dilated to 3 cm.
I got my epidural @ 8:30am
I was dilated to 5 cm @ 10:20am
By 11:30am I had already dialted to 9 1/2 cm
I started pushing at 12 noon on Dec. 1st and he was born at 12:12pm

Once again (like Jonah's birth) my epidural didn't work on one side of my body. I was in a lot of pain and wanted to give up. Thank God he came out fast! In the words of my midwife "he came barrelling out!" Thank God I didn't have to have a c-section!!!

Jonah is more comfortable with holding him now that he is off the bili lights.

He told me to slow down the other day in Walmart because baby Justus was going to fall out of the buggy.

Justus had jaundice for longer than any of my other children. He had to be on the billi lights at home for 7 days. He got his heels pricked 7 times to check the bilirubin levels in his blood. As my milk came in his levels went down and he finally flushed it all out of his system. Oh those lights...dragging it from room to room trying to keep him on it between feeding and diaper changing. It was a huge pain in the neck.

Finally FREE from the lights and we caught a smile!

The boys just LOVE him.

They showered him with "soft toys"

Jaron wants to hold him all the time. Even when I'm nursing....he wants me to stop nursing so he can hold him immediately.

More Pictures!

He's here!

Justus Andrew arrived December 1st @ 12:12pm. He weighed 8lbs. 8oz. And is 21 inches long. The doctors were able to turn him inutero so I had him naturally and was able to avoid the dreaded c-section. He is nursing great and we are home with our family. Thank God for all our boys!

I am thankful for...

...God's mercy and grace.
...Jesus dying on the cross for me and you.
...the Bible.
...my husband and his dedication to the Lord and our family.
...a nice house to live in.
...a dependable van to drive.
...food to eat.
...clothes to wear.
...3 (almost 4) handsome little boys.
...my parents and my in-laws.
...God supplying all our needs.
...my health.

I wanted to post this on Thanksgiving day but it just didn't work out. I guess I ate too much! :-D

Little Minds~Big Thoughts

The other day Jonah (2) asked me...."What color is God?"

Jacob said "I know why God made men marry women...because they can do different things"

I asked Jaron what he is thankful for and he said "Jesus"

Our boys are so smart and come up with some of the funniest, silliest, deepest thoughts.

Jonah told me when Justus comes out "No stroller mommy...I hold him"

Jacob sees me struggling to walk around and said "I feel sorry for your belly"

Jaron has been more interested in using the computer lately and he likes educational games that always teach something. He is so smart I just wish he could control his energy. We filled out the questions for ADD (his teacher and I) and she faxed them to the pediatrician. I got a call today that the doctor wants to see me to talk about the results. They wanted me to come in Dec. 1st. I said UH...can't I'll be in the hospital having a baby. So I had to make it for Dec. 14th.

I am so curious what they think. I also got a call from the pshycologist about meeting for the possible PICA. (Craving metal) Before making an appointment I have been sure to give Jaron plenty of vitamins daily even though he can't chew the gummy ones. He sucks on them until they are gone. It might be helping too. I haven't seen him putting any cars in his mouth here at home lately. They are out of school this week, but I am anxious to see how he does in school with staples, paper clips and scissors everywhere.

ADD & PICA

Jaron has always loved metal things in his mouth. I mean since he was born. After surgeries and post op recovery he loved to suck on our watches, keys or anything he could get in his mouth. As he got older he discovered match box cars are metal and he also sneaks coins out of my purse. Now that he has started kindergarten it has become a serious problem. His teacher sends home notes daily. He puts paperclips, thumb tacks, safety pins & scissors in his mouth at school. We are so nervous we're going to get a call one day saying he's poked a hole in his palate or something. So I started researching "craving metal objects" and learned about PICA. It's common in pregnant women and children. They symptoms are craving non food items or non nutritious items. Jaron could possibly be deficiant in something causing him to crave metal or it could just be from trauma to his mouth as a baby. It might just be a bad habit he's formed and we have to teach him to break it. We are making sure he gets plenty of vitamins now that I am aware that could be the reason and hoping this will help him stop.

He is also at the top of his kindergarten class in reading. He taught himself how to read when he was 4. He's also very smart in math, but he's not doing good with fine motor skills like writing and cutting. He has a very hard time staying focused and gets in trouble a lot at school for not listening, playing, talking, wrestling, etc. We think he may have ADD. I am not sure that I want to give him any type of prescription for this. I think they supress the appetite and he cannot afford that. He's already TINY! So his teacher and I filled out the forms from the doctor to deteremine if he has ADD and I'm waiting to hear back. In the mean time I am researching herbal rememdies and supplements for ADD that would be a safer option.

If you know anything about either one of these topics and have any suggestions or advice please comments. I'm getting desperate for answers.